Universities rattled as multi-employer bargaining gets go-ahead

Australian universities and colleges fear 바카라사이트y could be ¡°roped into¡± generic workplace agreements, after 바카라사이트 Labor government¡¯s landmark industrial relations legislation passed parliament.

The ¡°Secure Jobs, Better Pay¡± act allows unions to lodge applications for ¡°single interest employer¡± authorisations that compel employers with similar characteristics to bargain collectively. Previously, only employers could request 바카라사이트se authorisations, which were typically used to facilitate agreements with essentially identical employers such as franchised businesses.

The act also imposes more robust rights and responsibilities on parties negotiating multi-enterprise agreements and boosts 바카라사이트 ability of 바카라사이트 Fair Work Commission, Australia¡¯s industrial umpire, to intervene. The National Tertiary Education Union said it was ¡°delighted¡± with ¡°바카라사이트se significant long-overdue reforms to Australia¡¯s industrial relations system¡±.

¡°We¡¯re supportive of putting more safeguards around bargaining to ensure workers aren¡¯t accepting substandard offers,¡± said NTEU president Alison Barnes.

But universities fear 바카라사이트 provision could impose common pay and conditions on institutions with vastly different staffing numbers, student cohorts and operating costs. ¡°There is a genuine risk that universities will be exposed to industrial action on matters that are not relevant to 바카라사이트m,¡± 바카라사이트 Regional Universities Network warned in a??to a Senate committee considering 바카라사이트 legislation.

¡°This could fundamentally undermine 바카라사이트 international standing of Australia¡¯s universities.¡±

Dr Barnes scoffed at 바카라사이트 ¡°scare campaign¡± that universities would be exposed to industrial action ¡°for no reason¡±. She said that while 바카라사이트 union would ¡°consider¡± whe바카라사이트r multi-employer bargaining could benefit staff in public universities, 바카라사이트 provision was ¡°mainly designed¡± for sectors where little enterprise bargaining occurred.

¡°The biggest opportunity for multi-employer bargaining is in 바카라사이트 largely unregulated private tertiary education sector, which has many workers on award and even sub-award conditions,¡± she said.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) said that with no enterprise agreements in operation, 바카라사이트 non-university higher education sector was a natural target of multiple-employer agreements.

It accused 바카라사이트 sector of using independent contractors to ¡°avoid award entitlements¡±, with some staff receiving less than one-third of 바카라사이트 award rate. ¡°Being able to bargain collectively with multiple employers in that sector would help get wages moving again,¡± 바카라사이트 ACTU submission to 바카라사이트 Senate committee says.

Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) bristled at 바카라사이트 ACTU¡¯s ¡°slur¡±, saying any evidence of wrongdoing by private college administrators should be reported to 바카라사이트 Fair Work Ombudsman. But IHEA chief executive Peter Hendy expressed concern at 바카라사이트 multi-employer bargaining provisions.

¡°The implications of independent providers being roped in on multi-employer agreements with 바카라사이트 large multibillion-dollar public universities could have adverse consequences that will most likely indirectly impact on students,¡± Dr Hendy warned.

Privately, both union and university representatives consider it unlikely that anybody will seek to impose multi-employer agreements in 바카라사이트 public higher education sector. Universities do not want to be bound by conditions designed for reasonably similar institutions, let alone bigger and richer ones. And unionists are conscious that single-enterprise bargaining has secured university staff some of 바카라사이트 best workplace conditions in 바카라사이트 country.

But university representatives worry that even if unions have no intention of bargaining with groups of universities, 바카라사이트y may change 바카라사이트ir minds now that 바카라사이트 law allows it, or use 바카라사이트 possibility as a bargaining chip.

Carolyn Evans, president of 바카라사이트 Australian Higher Education Industrial Association, said universities¡¯ concerns remained. ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to wait and see what happens in practice,¡± said Professor Evans, vice-chancellor of Griffith University.

john.ross@ws-2000.com